Participants revel at the 2nd International Talents “Dream Cashers” Run, a Color Run event held by Zhaoshang Subdistrict Office in Nanshan District yesterday. The runners were doused with various colors from head to toe as they went through the 2.5-kilometer route, which featured Sea World Culture and Arts Center, Shenzhen’s New Western Binhai Promenade, Nanshan International Cultural Exchange & Service Center, and Nyuwa Park. According to the organizer, the event was held to celebrate the 5th Shenzhen Talent Day, which falls on today, and the 42nd Shenzhen Long-distance Run. Courtesy of Zhaoshang Subdistrict Office
Global talents from various fields gathered together to share their innovation insights at the Shenzhen Global Innovation Talent Forum, which was held at Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center in Futian District yesterday morning.
The forum, which was also held online, was the opening ceremony of the fifth Shenzhen Talent Day, which is today. Seven keynote speakers from fields including agriculture, energy metabolism science, advanced materials and the automation manufacturing industry, delivered speeches on construction of a high-level talent pool in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).
Zhang Xiang, president of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), introduced the school’s plan to build a Shenzhen campus, which will fully utilize resources for top global scientists to nurture outstanding GBA students.
“A triangle relationship connecting top universities, innovation and entrepreneurship, and talents would benefit local economic development, such as the case in Stanford, Berkeley and Silicon Valley. I believe advanced basic research of HKU (SZ) and HKU can further upgrade technological industries in the GBA,” said Zhang via video link.
John Roger Speakman, a foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who also serves as a professor at Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, lectured about two of the world’s key issues: obesity and food security. He presented his team’s latest study on obesity and energy metabolism, and stressed the importance of waste reduction to solve food shortages.
Speakman, a recipient of this year’s Chinese Government Friendship Award, said: “I have been in China for 10 years doing research and came to Shenzhen a year ago. Don’t make a mistake like me [for coming to Shenzhen late.] Shenzhen is a place full of opportunities for science and talents.”
Xiao Qingxiong, a senior technician of Shenzhen Liande Automatic Equipment Co. Ltd., gave a speech titled “In Shenzhen, Put an Elephant into the Fridge.”
He used the brain teaser to share his credo, which represents his life experience of starting as a technical school graduate to winning a National Technical Expert honor throughout 14 years in Shenzhen, going that “Step one is to think big in Shenzhen. Step two is to open your mind in Shenzhen! Step three is to be daring in Shenzhen! Step four is to grow up with Shenzhen.”
Besides the forum, a collection of talent-related activities are expected to be organized across the city until the end of the year. These will include a livestream e-commerce festival selling Shenzhen-made products, a forum on local sustainable development and technology cities’ resilience from Dec. 3 to 5, and high-level talents and products matchmaking activities.
Shenzhen declared Nov. 1 as Shenzhen Talent Day in 2017 to underscore the city’s high regard for talents.
As of November last year, Shenzhen had boasted 17,000 high-level professionals, 140,000 overseas-educated personnel and 50 full-time academicians, according to official statistics.